Late runs cost 'Cats vs. Karns

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Lane was perfect through five innings only to see Karns score three runs in the final two frames to win 3-1 at Hopkins Fields on Tuesday.

Disgust is a tough emotion to hide. It wore on the Oak Ridge baseball team pretty heavily as they knew they had let a win slip away.

Oak Ridge senior Jordan Lane was perfect through five innings only to see Karns score three runs in the final two frames to win 3-1 at Hopkins Fields on Tuesday.

"Baseball is a crazy game," coach Tom Froning said. "That's why at the high school level we play 35 games, in college you play over 50 and in the majors you play 162.

"They just outplayed us (the last two innings)."

Lane threw a marvelous gem going the full game striking out 11, allowing just five hits and one walk and two earned runs.

"Jordan threw an incredible game," coach Froning said. "You have to win a baseball game like that."

Of the 84 pitches the Western Kentucky signee threw, 59 were strikes and 19 of those were first pitch strikes in an extended zone that proved great for him and Karns pitcher Aaron Clark but bad for the Wildcats and Beavers batters.

After smashing out 14 hits against Sevier County and 11 hits against Webb on Saturday the Wildcats were held to just four hits against Karns.

"In 0-1 strike counts, we didn't get our pitch and lace it," Froning said. "We got a pitcher's pitch and he did a good job of keeping us off balance."

Oak Ridge's lone run came in the fourth with two outs. Prentice Young singled to left allowing Ralph O'Neal to advance to second.

Traven Proveaux then roped his second pitch toward the shortstop who committed an error on the play and allowed O'Neal to score.

Lane had two outs in the sixth inning and was looking in control and on pace to get his first perfect game of his high school career but a lazy ground ball back to him proved costly.

First baseman Luke Hebert couldn't make the catch with the setting sun blaring in his eyes. The Karns base runner advanced to third and scored on a single.

The Beavers filled the bases but Lane collected his poise and struck out the next batter to end the threat.

Three straight singles would add a run to the Karns tally in the seventh and a sacrifice fly would be enough insurance against an Oak Ridge (3-3, 0-2 in District 3-AAA) comeback.

Hebert led off the seventh for the 'Cats and scorched a line drive down the third baseline but it was caught saving the tying run from coming to the plate in the inning.

Young led Oak Ridge in hits. The senior went 2-for-3. Stephen May and Matt McDaniel each went 1-for-3.

Clark scattered four hits for Karns throughout the full seven innings walking none and striking out seven.

"We aren't going to press the panic button," coach Froning said of the loss.

Oak Ridge travels to Kingsport for a doubleheader against the Dobyns Bennett Indians and Sullivan South Rebels Saturday. The first pitch is at noon against the Indians at DBHS.